Just recieved my drum kit in the mail yesterday and i'm in the process of assembling it. I bought a drum dial and the bass batter head recommendations are 68. By simply hand tightening the lugs so the washers are just touching the rim, i'm hitting a tension of 72.

I calibrated the drum dial, i seated my head so i'm wondering is it just the drum head type i'm using that requires a higher tension? Currently i have it tightened to 75.

some still enjoy using them but their technology has long been passed by

I personally prefer to tune by ear and use something like a TuneBot or iDrumTech app for some real fine tuning when going into the studio ......especialy if a producer recomends I tune to a certain pitch or even specific note

in my personal opinion you have a real nice paper weight there

trusting your ears will help you learn the process of tuning ......a process that takes time to develop not unlike good playing technique

Please feel free to do a search on here for many, many topics pertaining to using the Drum Dial and settings.

The reference chart that comes with the DD is only "reference". The reference numbers may or may not work for you. Only your ears and your situation will know for sure what numbers work best for you.

That being said, please don't let the "tail wag the dog". Meaning don't tune to a number - tune to a relative pitch. Once you find that pitch that sounds best to you, then take a note of the numbers so for your own future reference. The benefit of getting your own numbers is when the time comes to change the heads, you can get to your range perhaps faster than if not. The are others who feel it takes them longer to tune with a DD. To each their own. No one is right or wrong. Like anything else, everyone does what works for them.

Different heads will require different numbers on the DD for the same pitch. 2 ply versus single. Even coated versus clear can require a different number.

Obviously you also need to follow the proper methods of seating a head and equal tension around the drum as well.

didn't want to tune by ear yet as i don't know what sound i'm really looking for just yet. I'm sure i'll figure out soon at least what sound i don't like. i'll have to read up on tunebot

i was trying not to get hung up on the numbers but i didn't want to apply too much tension to a bass head. when i hit 72 with hand tightening and then i hit 75 with a 1/2 turn on the lug, it still seemed a little loose. I was afraid to go up to 80(tom numbers) thinking i might over stretch the head.

didn't want to tune by ear yet as i don't know what sound i'm really looking for just yet. I'm sure i'll figure out soon at least what sound i don't like. i'll have to read up on tunebot

i was trying not to get hung up on the numbers but i didn't want to apply too much tension to a bass head. when i hit 72 with hand tightening and then i hit 75 with a 1/2 turn on the lug, it still seemed a little loose. I was afraid to go up to 80(tom numbers) thinking i might over stretch the head.

Thanks for the advice.

I use a Drum Dial and I love it. It will get you about 80 percent of the way there and save you about 80 percent of the time, compared to ear tuning.

Thicker, stiffer heads will register with a higher number, even at zero tension. So don't get too caught up on any particular number that someone recommends to you. As long as the number is consistent from lug to lug, that's what you really want. Once you get the same number from lug to lug, and the drum sounds fairly good, then you can fine-tune using your ears.

I really believe that Drum Dials and Tunebots are a waste of time and money, I tried both of them because I thought that one of them might shave some time tuning and re-heading the close to 40 drums I have. In my experienced they take longer to "attempt" to tune a drum with some very inconsistent results. At the end of the process you still need accurate ears, depending on how accurate you want to be, to complete the task. You would be better served by following the expert advice from a competent drum instructor on how to tune your drums. One on one personal instruction is miles better than any mechanical tuning device. If you're completely out in left field when it comes to tuning and you don't have a teacher within a close proximity of your home, then use the many Your tube on line videos or just do what you must.

I really believe that Drum Dials and Tunebots are a waste of time and money,

Dennis in most cases I completely agree ...I have been tuning by ear and feel for nearly 30 years and in the ideal situation trust nothing more than that

I have had a couple situations where tunebot and iDrumTech have come in very handy

one was when I had to change a head in a noisy club while the opening band was playing .
I hit the filter button...pulled up my saved setting for that specific tom.....and boom ...in under 2 minutes I had matched the setting.
set it up on the stage and it sounded exactly how I wanted it to sound.....and I never heard it until line check

another was at a record date where the producer insisted I tune my toms to specific notes .
I would have never been able to do it without the help of an electronic device ....which I almost didn't bring that night

i was trying not to get hung up on the numbers but i didn't want to apply too much tension to a bass head. when i hit 72 with hand tightening and then i hit 75 with a 1/2 turn on the lug, it still seemed a little loose. I was afraid to go up to 80(tom numbers) thinking i might over stretch the head.

Don't worry about overstretching your heads. Believe me, it will take a LOT of tightening to get to a level where anything bad will happen.

Dennis in most cases I completely agree ...I have been tuning by ear and feel for nearly 30 years and in the ideal situation trust nothing more than that

I have had a couple situations where tune bot and iDrumTech have come in very handy

one was when I had to change a head in a noisy club while the opening band was playing .
I hit the filter button...pulled up my saved setting for that specific tom.....and boom ...in under 2 minutes I had matched the setting.
set it up on the stage and it sounded exactly how I wanted it to sound.....and I never heard it until line check

another was at a record date where the producer insisted I tune my toms to specific notes .
I would have never been able to do it without the help of an electronic device ....which I almost didn't bring that night

Many of these devices, particularly the TuneBot has only been available for maybe the past year or so, what did you do when you didn't have the apps or TuneBot at your disposal?

What I do is check and tune my equipment before I get to a gig. I remember only a hand full of times when I had to change a head or exchange a piece of hardware before going on. I either ended up going back to my van and changing the head there, since that's where I keep my spares, or I try for a semi quiet restroom or office space at the venue. The process only takes minutes when you know exactly what you are going for. As getting exact notes from the drum kit, I barely have this problem because this is always gone over in our pre-production meetings at the studio. It usually turns out to be the producer flexing his muscles and in the few instances it's not, it turns into more money for the studio while we tune up to the producers specifications using a piano, sine wave generator or something as antiquated and simple as a pitch pipe. This would become even more lucrative for the studio if the tuning had to be drastically changed between tracks.

These are just some of the time proven solutions that I've used over the years. The TuneBot in particular is Not a precision piece of equipment and it is fallible in most every use it is deemed to have, including simple signal readouts in hertz. There will be a time when putting your complete confidence in such a piece of equipment will come back and bite you in the arse, lol. I for one wouldn't put my entire faith in a piece of equipment, especially knowing some of its downfalls, without actually hearing the drum before It, and myself goes on stage, it's a more professional way of doing things, in my opinion, by doing away with one aspect of chance.

BTW, I have yet to see a "pro" drummer use a TuneBot in the studios. Again, for the people who need these tuning devices because of not being able to differentiate between two similar pitches, all well and good, but don't expect miracles. DrumDials are just a pain in the posterior, especially when you have to work fast and accurately.